Five years have later. Draco having found Hermione lying in a pool of blood, gets her to the hospital. He donated some of his blood to her, as she was on the verge of death. But, should he have done that?

“Who was it who gave me their blood then, if not you?”

“His name was Draco, dear. Lovely young man, I must say.” Her mom said.

“I’m pregnant.” The brown haired witch blurted out, a smile tugging at her lips. She was inside Ron’s bedroom, sitting on his large wooden bed. She looked up, only to see a shocked expression on her boyfriend’s face. Somehow, it made her feel uneasy.

“What?” The redhead asked, making sure he had heard it right.

“Ron, I’m pregnant,” Hermione repeated, now a frown forming on her face. Ron furrowed his brows in confusion, running his hand through his hair, causing her to frown even more. Why didn’t he look happy? He should be happy that they were going to have a child...right?

“Hermione, I’m sorry, but I can’t,” He started, avoiding eye contact with the brunette.

“I can’t have this baby with you.” What did he mean he couldn’t have this baby with her? He wasn’t making any sense.

“Ron, what – what are you trying to say?” She could feel the tears welling up inside her as she tried to comprehend what the redhead had just told her.

“I never meant for this to happen! This is – this is too early. I’m sorry, Hermione, I can’t handle this. I’m not ready for all this,” he replied back, a frown plastered on his face. He looked up at Hermione, and immediately started feeling guilty. But he couldn’t right now. He wanted to start a family, he really did, but somehow he felt as if it wasn’t the right time for it.

“Look, ‘Mione. I love kids a lot – you know how much I do. But...I don’t think this is the right time for this...” The ginger head trailed off. “I think maybe we should give each other some space, for a while.” He turned on his heel and opened the door to exit when he was stopped by an arm turning him back around.

“So, you’re just going to leave me here! Without even asking me if I agree with this! You’re acting as if you don’t want to be together with me anymore,” the brown haired witch cried. What was so wrong about this? About her being pregnant? This didn’t make sense. Seeing the frozen expression on Ron’s face only seemed to confirm her fear.

Hermione’s vision blurred, as she tried to keep her tears back - but it was no use, they easily trickled down her tanned cheeks. Where did it go wrong? Was it something she did? What was it?

“Hermione, I’m sorry, but I think we should break up after all,” he affirmed, looking directly at her. This wasn’t happening.

“But, I – I thought you loved me,” her voice was cracked but she didn’t care. She wanted to know. “How can you say that you want to break up, when – when I’m pregnant, with your child!?” She exclaimed in frustration and hurt. He couldn’t do this to her.

“I do love you, ‘Mione, but,” he was hesitant. “But I don’t think it’s in the way that I’d consider wanting to marry you. I don’t know. I – I think it’d be best if we just stayed as friends.” How could he say that now?

“We’ve been going out for two years now, how can you say that?!”

“I know, but – I’m sorry, ‘Mione. I know I should’ve said something earlier, but believe me, every time I tried to, I’d see how happy you are, and I just couldn’t find it in myself to say it, knowing how much it’d hurt you,” he explained, but he knew it was too late. He was too late in confessing his true feelings.

“Well, I’m feeling absolutely grand right now!” She exclaimed as more tears trickled down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Two years. He had two years to tell her, and yet, after she’s with a child, his child, he finally chooses to confess?

“I’m sorry, I really am, and I know I should’ve told you...” the redhead trailed off, not knowing how to continue. Nothing he could say would make this situation any better. He’d been selfish. He knew he had played with Hermione’s feelings, and he hated himself for it. She didn’t deserve this. She deserved better. And she could’ve found better, if he had just confessed when he realised that he didn’t love her in the same way he did when they were seventeen anymore. He had ruined everything.

He knew he was a coward. He knew, yet it didn’t stop him from rushed out of her apartment, closing the door shut. He walked into the bloody rain, pouring over his ginger head. He was so selfish.

“Ron!” Hermione bawled, she was far away from her, far away from reach. He had left her and her baby. Her perfect world had completely shattered like a mirror. She slid down the wall, pouring her heart out. She knew it wouldn’t make anything better, but she wasn’t going to stop – she needed the release.

* * *

A hand connected hardly with Ron’s cheek. He only hung his head low, knowing what he’d done wrong. He deserved it after all.

“How dare you do that to her? How dare you!?” Molly Weasley shouted at her ashamed son.

“I didn’t mean to, mum. I didn’t want to, but I had to tell her the truth.” Ron explained. He couldn’t keep pretending.

“You were supposed to support her not destroy her, Ronald!” Mrs Weasley cried. “You should be there at a time like this, when she needs you the most. You’re going to be a father, Ron.” She breathed out.

“I don’t want to be a father!” He blurted out. Wait, no. That’s not what he meant. Molly’s mouth dropped open in shock as she gasped.

“I – I didn’t mean it that way.” Ron said intimidated.

“Just go up.” She dismissed him, trying to keep her anger from showing even more. Without another look at his mother, he went to his bedroom, with his head bent low.

* * *

Hermione greeted her secretary politely, who looked at her, concerned.

“Miss Granger, I had a call from Mrs. Weasley, she said she need to talk to you urgently, she wants you to drop by at the Burrow, straight after work.” Liz informed. Hermione nodded and entered her office, placed a lock on the room using her wand.

She sighed as she settled down, well aware of what the older Weasley wanted to talk about. She didn’t feel as if she could go, she knew the older would support her, but she also knew she would break down if she was comforted by her – and Hermione Granger was not weak. She refused to be any more than she had been in the morning.

The day was going very slowly and Hermione was becoming irked by the minute.

Only two hours had gone since she had come in her office. She tried to bury herself in the huge pile of paperwork due for next week, but she couldn’t concentrate, because her mind constantly wandered to what occurred that morning. The loud music playing next door only made it worse, feeling herself grow more irritated. Who in their right mind would want to listen to such loud music in an office? Was no one else bothered by this?

Hermione picked up the phone and called for her secretary. Whoever it was, they needed to turn it down.

“Liz, can you please tell the next door office to keep quiet, I’m trying to do some very important paperwork.” Hermione said.

“Yes, Ms Granger.” Liz replied.

After a few minutes, when she heard only silence, she breathed out exasperated.

Finally! Looks like the person next door had shut off the music.

She continued to check and sign all the paperwork left for her from her superior, until she heard a resound knock on her door.

Just when she thought she was going to finish all the paperwork. She pointed her wand at the door, unlocking it, and in entered the last person on the planet she wanted to have the pleasure of meeting – Draco Malfoy; a blue folder in hand. Had he always worked next door?

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Miss Know-It-All. Just when I thought I had gotten rid of you ‘Golden Trio’ for good, you had to show up, didn’t you? He smirked his signature smirk. Even today, that smirk never failed to irk her.

“Out of all the floors, you had to have a job at this one. Just once I’d like to enjoy my life in peace.” She pleaded.

“Well, unfortunately, you’re not going to get any - not while I'm around. They don’t call me a party animal for nothing, you know.” He said as he walked over, always his arrogant self. Hermione rolled her eyes in disinterest at the comment.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you, Malfoy?” she said, snorting. Of course, she hadn’t expected to see much change in him.

“What are you laughing at, Granger?” He glared at her, his hands resting on her desk, looking irked. She burst out laughing freely, only to annoy him further. Draco squinted at the brown haired witch in annoyance. She really enjoyed watching him so irritated, and it somehow made her forget about that morning.

“What the hell is so funny, Granger?” He snapped, glaring at her. Hermione attempted to compose herself and act professional.

“Party animal, in what world?” She snickered.

“You know what? It’s pointless talking to you. I'm out of here.” He walked out in anger, with Hermione still laughing. What was he, a five year old? She thought disbelievingly. Just then, her secretary walked in.

“Miss Granger? Your doctor just called, she told me to inform you for your appointment due for next week, on a Wednesday at 10:30 am.” Liz said. Hermione nodded and went back to her office, back to work.

The telephone was ringing continuously. Now what was it? She picked up the receiver and spoke.

“Hello?” Hermione answered.

“You finally decide to pick up the phone. For goodness sake, woman.” Malfoy.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” Hermione grumbled. She really had to return to her paperwork. She hated not being able to finish it long before the due date. It's just how it worked for her.

“My blue folder, which is sitting on your desk. Drop it in my office, would you Granger?” He asked. She snorted as she noticed the folder on the wooden surface.

“Get it yourself, Malfoy.” She said, and with that she hung up the phone before the blond could say anything else. She snatched the folder of the desk and with a flick of her wand, transformed it into an ink pot. This was going to be amusing, she thought, forgetting about the pile of papers she had waiting for her. “Lazy git.”

She could practically hear the door next door closing, and the footsteps getting louder as they reached her office.

“Granger! Open the damn door!” Hermione flicked her wand and the door unlocked. He stormed inside, searching around for his folder.

“Have you become that lazy Granger, that you can’t even drop a folder in my office? Which is right next door by the way.” He complained. He looked around the office, unable to find his folder. That’s when a sudden realisation hit him.

He then understood what had happened to it, or at least got the gist of it. He looked towards Hermione, with his arms crossed across his chest.

“Alright Granger. Where is it? Hand it over.” He said, holding out his hand. He was really not in the mood for childish pranks.

“What are you talking about?” Hermione said innocently. But he knew she looked anything but.

“Enough with the innocent act, Granger. Potter and the Weasel King might buy it, but it won't work on me. I know you have my folder. Just pass it over, so we both can get back to work.” He suggested.

“What folder? I have no folder. Do you see a folder of any sort on my desk or anywhere in my office? No, I don’t think so.” Hermione tried to keep a straight face, but Draco could see the corner of her lips trying not to curve into a smirk. She was terrible at keeping her emotions in, he thought as he sighed exasperatedly.

“I can see your smirk, Granger. I am not blind, you know - now hand it over.” He said now serious. Again, he held out his hand hoping to have a weight put upon it, but no such weight was put on. What was wrong with this woman? Did she really have nothing better to do than pester him? He questioned, growing even more annoyed at the brunette.

“You don’t really think I’m gonna give it to you that easily, do you Malfoy? I thought you knew me better.” She said pouting. He closed his eyes, pinching his nose in annoyance. Had she always been this irksome? He decided to hear her out as he sighed in surrender, making Hermione smirk.

“What’s the catch?” He asked hastily, not wanting to waste more time than he already had. He made a mistake coming personally to collect his folder; he should’ve just asked his secretary – why didn’t he ask his secretary?

“You have to wear a chicken suit and do the chicken dance in public, in front of The Three Broomsticks. And you have to wear to work for a day.” She said, smiling mischievously. Was she enjoying this too much? Maybe. But it made her forget.

“What?! No! I won’t do it! Just give me back my file, so I can get back to my client, Granger.” He said. She was starting to get on his nerves now.

“Okay, okay, you don’t have to wear it to work. But you still have to wear it in front of The Three Broomsticks.” Hermione giggled. This really wasn’t funny.

“I won’t do it, Granger, you understand? Now stop playing these dumb games and just give me the file!” Draco’s anger was boiling up inside, gradually increasing, but Hermione was not going to give him the file so easily.

She shook her head, she was not giving him the file at any time until he agreed to her deal.

Draco was beginning to get pissed at Hermione for her childish behaviour, so he reached inside his pocket for his wand. This will teach her not mess with a Malfoy. He smirked at her and pointed the tip towards the brown haired witch and mumbled a spell, which Hermione couldn’t catch until she was transformed, her face growing many horrid boils. Soon, she was hardly recognisable.

“MALFOY! CHANGE ME BACK! NOW!” She practically screamed at him. What the hell was wrong with him? Couldn’t he take a little joke? She looked around for her wand and noticed it behind the tall blonde. But then again, she could do wandless magic. She began to think of the counter spell, when she got interrupted.

“Don’t even think about it, Granger. It won’t work, the spell can’t be countered without your wand, which is...oh would you look at that – right here,” the blonde waved the familiar wand in his hand mockingly. She glared at the blonde, but gave up in trying, knowing that certain spells couldn’t be done without the use of a wand.

“Only if you give me my file back, without any conditions, will I change you back and give you your wand.” He insisted, a smirk playing on his lips, trying to keep himself from laughing. It really was fun teasing the brunette, he had to admit.

“Yes, fine. Now change me back!” Hermione demanded. Draco obeyed and with a flick of his wand, she was back to her normal self. Hermione touched her face to make sure he had changed her back. Yes, everything seemed fine. She walked over to her desk and snatched her wand out of his grasp, sending another glare at the blonde before pointing her wand at the ink pot on her desk and transformed it back into the blue file it was before. She then handed it back to the blonde Slytherin.

“You ever do that again, you will regret it for the rest of your life.” She warned him while he only smirked at her.

“Whatever, Granger.” Draco said ignoring the threat. He snatched the file from Hermione and made his way for the door, when Hermione’s secretary opened it, which she shouldn’t have, because Draco had banged his head as she had opened it back.

He placed his hand on his forehead, massaging his temples trying to reduce the pain the bloody door had caused him.

That’s when he heard the hysterical laughter behind him, Hermione was practically laughing her head off. Draco glared at the witch with an irked expression for the nth time, and stomped out the door into his own office.

Hermione composed herself to professional level (as much as she could be after what happened) and looked towards her secretary, who seemed to be trying very hard to keep a straight face, but couldn’t. She finally burst into laughter, Hermione joining in.

Finally, when they had stopped, the secretary spoke up.

“What is it, Liz?” Hermione asked somewhat serious.

“It was your doctor, she wants you to come to the clinic today, as soon as you leave work.” Liz replied. That’s strange, she thought her appointment was not until Wednesday. She decided not to question it and just nodded at the raven haired woman.

“Thank you, Liz. You may leave.” Liz closed the door behind her and went back to her desk.

Hermione commenced on getting ready for her trip to the clinic, deciding that it’d be better if she continued with her work tomorrow, seeing as she couldn’t concentrate.

She was anxious, to be honest - hopefully everything was alright.

Unfortunately that was not the case.

She greeted the doctor and sat down on the chair. And judging by the frown on her face, it wasn’t good news.

“Hermione, you must be wondering why I have called you here,” The doctor held up some X-rays of what must have been her abdomen and brain. “According to your last check up, it can be said that the unborn child is very sensitive. I suggest that you do not get stressed a lot, as it will have a huge impact on the child. Any sign of tension shown or if you do any hard labour work, at any point, it may put you child in grave danger. So please, I insist that you stay home at any cost, just to be on the safe side.” The doctor explained.

“Also, you are working in the Ministry - I assume you are given large amounts of paperwork, am I not right? That can also affect your child as it often involves a lot of stress, so please, I advise you to stay at home, Hermione. It’s for the safety of your baby.” The doctor said before Hermione could protest.

“How long will I have to stay at home, doctor?” Hermione asked worriedly. She felt disappointed that she couldn’t go to work for a while.

“It may be a few weeks or maybe months.”

“Months?!”

“Yes, months. We need to take extra special care that your child will be born as healthy and fit as possible, but if you keep on stressing, then there is a highly likely chance that you baby might not survive. So please, Hermione. Listen to me, stay at home. It’s for your own good.” She said. Hermione sighed and nodded.

"Oh, one more thing, I think you should restrain from apparition as well."

“I understand, doctor. Thank you.” Hermione frowned as she bid the doctor goodbye and left out of the clinic.

“I better use a taxi.” Hermione said as she stood outside the clinic. She walked towards the road, looking left and then right for a cab. Then she noticed a yellow glow getting bigger and bigger from the distance. Hermione held out her hand, so it was visible for the taxi driver to pull over.

“Where to, Miss?”

“17 Lily Lane.” Hermione answered as he stepped inside the vehicle.

The taxi was at a sudden stop. Hermione looked outside to see the traffic lights change from green, to amber, to red. When the lights finally changed, the driver rode on.

Suddenly, Hermione heard a honking sound up ahead. It seemed to be driving towards the taxi. Hermione screamed at the driver to go the other way, the driver obeyed, and made a sharp turn to the left in attempt to avoid the car ahead. Only it caused the cab to collide into it.

She got pushed forward abruptly, the seatbelt pressing hardly to her body before her head collided with the front passenger seat. She felt a sharp pain shoot through her head, making her wince. Trying to move seemed to be futile too, as her body refused to. Was this it? Was she going to die? Was her child going to die without even entering this world?

"...ger! Granger! Can you hear me?" A voice from far away called out. She tried to turn her head, but it only resulted in her feeling more pain. She could feel herself slowly losing consciousness and soon darkness surrounded her.

"Granger, hey! Don't lose consciousness! Do you hear me?" When he noticed no movement from the brunette, his eyes widened. No no no, he had to get her to St. Mungo’s. Quick.

Hastily, he reached inside to unbuckle her seatbelt and pulled it back so that it wasn't restraining her anymore. He then wrapped his right hand around the back of her neck, the other under her knees and lifted her up, pulling her out of the car. Steadying the brunette in his arms, he decided to apparate the both of them, knowing that he couldn't be any later to get Hermione treated, dismissing the sharp pain in his head.

As soon as they reached there, he collapsed with the brunette still in his arms, his legs giving out on him from the impact of them apparating. He looked at Hermione in his arms, realising exactly why he was here.

"We need a bed, immediately!" A male in white demanded. All the nurses present rushed to their aid, one placing Hermione on the white bed, another helping him up to stand. He watched as the bed was wheeled away hurriedly to the emergency and felt himself release a breath of relief. Hopefully, he had made it on time and the brunette would be alright.

"We'll get you treated immediately as well. Please come this way," a nurse said, leading him to another room.

* * *

“Is she alright, doctor?” Jenna Granger asked, anxious. When she had gotten visited by Ginny about the accident, she had dropped everything, and with her husband, Ginny had apparated the two parents to St. Mungo’s, the wizard hospital that their daughter had been admitted in.

“Yes, but she'd lost a lot of blood. And the crash has caused too much damage to her abdomen...I’m afraid we couldn’t save the child. We are very sorry.” Jenna cupped her hands on her mouth, tears flooding her eyes, making her vision blurry. Her husband embraced her, to which she cried even more at Hermione’s loss. The couple had not even known that their daughter was going to be a mother. How were they going to tell her?

“How are we going to tell her, Ross? She will be shattered.” She looked up, with many tears sliding down her cheeks.

“I don’t know, love. I don’t know,” he looked at his wife with a worried look on his face.

The doors slid open to reveal a tall blond man, who had a bandage on his forehead with a blood stain visible on it. He walked towards the couple.

“How is she, Mrs Granger? Is she going to be alright?” He asked worried. Wait, why did he sound so concerned for the brunette? Just this morning they'd been at each other's throats. He shook his head, dismissing the concern. It was probably because he didn't want to be blamed for her death. That's all. Yeah. Nothing else.

“The doctor said she’s going to be fine. But sh-she h...has lost her child.” Jenna started to sob again on Ross’ shoulder. His eyes widened in shock. Granger was pregnant?!

“What?! She was pregnant?” He asked in disbelief. Somehow he felt angry at himself - for not being able to save both mother and child. Granted, he hadn't known, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty.

“Yes, she was. We only found out today. But we must thank you, Draco. If it weren’t for you, our daughter may not have survived either. Thank you very much for all your help.” Ross spoke in gratitude.

“It’s okay, no need to thank me, Mr Granger,” Draco said, a faint smile directed at the couple. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed some movement and realised that the brunette was waking up. He should go. “But now, I must go. I have some very important business at the Ministry. Goodbye.” He exited the hospital altogether, apparently back to the Ministry, despite having been advised by the doctor to avoid doing so.

Hermione started to gain conscious and slowly opened her eyes, only to see white. Where was she? How did she get here? She tried to think back on what happened but gave up as she felt her head pounding. That was when she heard a sobbing from her right. She slowly turned and found her mother crying silently.

Why was she crying?

“Mum, why are you crying?” Hermione asked startling the couple.

“Hermione, my child! You’re okay!” Her mother rushed up to her daughter and clasped her into an embrace. Hermione winced slightly, not completely recovered from her injuries yet.

That's right, she realised. She had gotten into an accident. She was in the hospital right now.

She felt her eyes sting. She closed them again, refusing to believe it. They were lying.

“No! You’re lying! Dad, please tell me mum is lying!” She demanded, tears flooding and impairing her vision. When she caught the older avoiding eye contact, she clutched her stomach more tightly, looking down at it.

It was gone. Her baby...was gone.

“Hermione, it’s true - I’m sorry. You were losing a lot of blood, you were so close to death and the accident damaged your stomach. But we couldn’t give you any blood because ours didn’t match with yours.” Her mother sputtered out. Her head snapped up, ignoring the pain.

What - what did she just say? How could their blood not match? She was their daughter. How could none of their blood types match?

“But, how is that possible? You’re my parents, we should have the same blood.” She said in disbelief. Nothing was making sense to her then.

Lingering silence filled the air.

A/N: I am back, after, ur, almost four years. I am so sorry for such a long wait - I just sort of lost my motivation along the way, and then life was coming in the way. I'm going to start uni soon, too - god, the stress! But, I told you, I wasn't going to abandon this story! After I read this again, I really felt like I couldn't continue like the way it was, so I chose to rewrite it; please forgive me, I know you'll have to read it all over again, but I tried to make it better, so please give me chance ;w; Also, if there are still any errors, I am really really sorry T-T

"Hermione, I think it's time…we talked about your real parents." Hermione's eyes widened. Her real parents? What did they mean? She let her dad continue.

"Well, what happened was that your parents were on a date on the 15th of September at a restaurant called Harlow's, in London. Jenna and I were also on a date, we had sat on the table next to then.

“Everything was going great for them as well as us - until they exited out of the restaurant. Jenna and I were still inside, eating our dinner - when we saw a flash of green outside. We both rushed outside to see what had happened and there we saw, a hooded figure floating away further in the distance, I never really saw their face, but your parents…they were in a critical condition." She sucked in a breath as she listened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"Jenna had gotten her phone, and called for an ambulance. When they finally came, we asked to go with them. So, we were at the hospital waiting for the doctor to return, and when he did…he – he announced that they only had a few hours left and that they’d had a baby girl – meaning, you Hermione." He said, looking directly at her. She could see the pained look in his eyes as he recollected the memories.

"They wanted to see us, so we went. When we were there, they asked us to sit down. Then the woman - your mother - spoke, she thanked us and sh-she asked us to take care of you. We couldn't believe what they were asking us to do, they wanted us, complete strangers, to take care of their child, when they could have asked one of their loved ones for help. We were even about to protest, but they refused to listen and handed you over to Jenna. And you were so beautiful. We couldn’t find it in ourselves to decline." He gave a small, weak smile at Hermione, who returned it back.

"The man - your father - handed me a small bag with a letter attached to it and told me to take care of it until the time comes to give it to you. We didn't know how we would come to know, but they said that we would be able feel it when the time is right for us to give it to you," He reached inside his waistcoat pocket, pulling a small lilac pouch and a worn out piece of parchment, she realised. She reached out and took both in her hand, placing them on her lap; she decided she would read the parchment later.

"Then, suddenly, we saw that they were slowly closing their eyes, and we really panicked. We called the doctor, hoping that he would say that they were resting – and I prayed to God they were, but instead…he announced their deaths," He choked out. "Even though we had just met them that day, we felt like we had known them for long. We were so heartbroken; they had died without even having a chance to properly take care of you…” He paused, unable to continue. She could feel her eyes stinging now.

"We made a promise that day, to your parents that we would take care of you - no matter what and kept this promise since the day you were born. W-We had always wanted a child of our own, a chance to be a mother and a father. We didn't even have any idea about them except for their names - Charlotte and Brian Granger. Funny, they had the same last name as us." Jenna continued on her husband’s behalf, chuckling a little. Hermione felt herself smiling a little at that.

"We never knew they were wizards until the day you turned eleven. You were in the kitchen, trying to reach for the cookies on the shelf, but before one of us could even help you take the jar down, the cookie jar floated down all by itself, in your hands. We were absolutely shocked by your abilities…but proud to have raised such a special daughter like you," Jenna smiled. "That was also the day when you received your letter from Hogwarts, you were so excited about going to school and we were excited for you too. We were actually going to tell you about your parents then, but you seemed so happy that we didn't want to upset you with the news of your biological parents, so we kept quiet until another day, which turned out to be today." She frowned slightly.

"Look, honey, we are very sorry that we kept this from you for this long, but there was too much going on in your school life that we didn't want to add more to your list. We would understand if you would hate us, Hermione. But we just want you to know that we love you so much and that we never meant to cause any harm." Jenna choked out, water droplets streaming down her face. It pained her to see her mother so upset, she didn’t like it.

Hermione couldn't hate them. Sure they’d kept this secret about her real parents from her, but only so she wouldn't be more worried than she already had been at Hogwarts. They had taken such good care of her, regardless of the fact that they didn't know about her parents so well. They had been so good to her and still continue to be. Even after finding out she had erased their memories four years ago, they understood. They understood that she’d done so for their safety. How could she hate them when they’d all gone through so much together?

"I don't hate you. You’ve both been so good to me and taken care of me even though I am someone else’s child. I don't hate you, if anything, I love you both more." Hermione embraced her mum, teary eyed. Her mother returned the embrace, visibly relaxing into her touch.

"You are and will always be the best daughter any parent could have the privilege of taking care of. We have, and always will love you dearly." Ross said joining the two women.

"I love you both, too. Thank you for everything." Hermione said.

Then a question rose to the front of her mind. If not them, then who had donated her their blood.

"Who was it that donated their blood to me then, if not you?" She asked, breaking the hug.

"His name was Draco, dear. Lovely young man, I must say." Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock. Did she hear that right? Malfoy – The Draco Malfoy - the one who had done nothing but make her life miserable for so many years, had given her blood? Unbelievable.

Maybe there was another Draco in the world. It couldn’t possibly be the same one.

"Do you mean, Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked, she had to confirm it. They both nodded. Impossible. When had he had such a change of heart?

"Isn't it that boy who always called you 'Mudblood' in school?" Her dad asked, frowning as he remembered.

"Yes it is - are you sure it was him? - did he have white blonde hair, pale face, grey eyes?" She asked, trying to reassure herself that it could be another Draco Malfoy, though by now, she knew it was a long shot.

"Yes!" They both said in unison, chuckling.

"I have to say though, he seems to be a changed man now. He looked so worried when he saw the state you were in." Jenna said smiling. Impossible. Draco Malfoy, worried for her? This sounded ridiculous to her ears.

Had he really changed?

No. No, from the way he acted with her this morning, it didn’t look like it. He was probably acting concerned for appearance’s sake. Yeah. That would make more sense.

"He's nothing but an arrogant, self-absorbing bigot!" Hermione exclaimed, though calmed herself down as she felt her head throbbing again.

It was true. At least, it was all those years of torment in Hogwarts, she couldn’t forget. Yes, it had been five years since then, but she wouldn’t be able to believe that Draco Malfoy had had a change in heart.

"Sweetheart, people change. Surely, after that war of yours in the wizarding world, many things must have changed, haven't they? Not everything remains the same for long, dear," Jenna tried to explain. But she didn’t understand.

"But he's a Malfoy! Malfoys never change!" She cried out. Was she acting too ignorant? Had he really changed in these five years?

"Well, then the war must have really shook him." Ross added. That was possible…

"I'll believe it when I see it." Hermione huffed angrily, not wanting to believe a word her parents were uttering out about the pureblood Slytherin, who had been nothing but cruel to her. Yet.

"Hermione, I want you to thank him for what he has done. If he had not donated his blood, you may not have survived either." Jenna frowned.

"Okay, mum. I will," Hermione sighed, knowing it was useless for to her protest. For appearance’s sake or not, he had saved her.

"We're gonna leave now. We'll pick you up tomorrow, the doctor said you would be discharged by then. Bye, honey." Jenna and Ross both kissed Hermione on the forehead and exited out of the emergency room.

***

"Mum, dad!" Hermione rushed up to her parents and hugged them.

"Ginny called you yesterday night, she wanted to know if you were alright and that she's sorry that she couldn't be here with you, her coach couldn't allow it because she had a Quidditch match. She did tell us that she will contact you as soon as possible," Jenna informed. "She also said that Harry and Ron were at an Auror mission in Oslo so they couldn't come back until today morning." Hermione nodded, she knew her friends would be busy, but that didn't mean that they didn’t care about her. She knew they loved and cared about her a lot.

"I'm going to the Ministry, mum. I have lots of paperwork to complete. I'll see you soon," She started to make her way back to the front door when she was stopped.

"No, Hermione…I think you should rest for the day, you can go tomorrow. Just rest for today, ask the Minister to give you a day off, I'm sure he would understand." Jenna suggested, a look of concern evident on her aging face.

"Mum, I'll be fine. If I don't feel well, I will call you and come home, I promise." She assured her worrying parents.

"Okay, honey, but be careful." Ross warned.

"I will, dad. Don't worry." with that said, she bid them goodbye and apparated to the floor her office was in. She walked over to the door of her office and was about to step inside when she was called.

"Hermione! You're alright!" It was her secretary, Liz. She had enveloped Hermione into a tight embrace, delighted to see that Hermione was alright.

"Yes, Liz, I'm alright." Hermione smiled, as a blushing Liz let go.

"You’ve got these; just came in today." Liz handed her the two letters to Hermione and departed to her desk. Hermione entered her office, with the two letters in hand. She looked to see that someone one was sitting her chair. Realising who it was, the letters slipped out of her hands. Draco Malfoy. She was beyond shocked to see him in her office, and what was he doing?

She looked closer and it looked like he was completing all her paperwork. Hermione was speechless, rooted to the spot, not understanding what to do. Nothing made sense to her.

'What if he's sabotaging my work?' She thought.

Believing it to be the reason for him being in her office, she flicked her wand at herself and transformed herself into a Boggart. Maybe she could give him a little scare; if he was startled, then let it be a lesson for trespassing in her office and sabotaging her work.

That’s what he was doing, right?

She slowly floated towards the blonde.

Draco felt something approaching him, so he looked up and saw the face he had been scared of his entire life. He staggered back onto the floor, falling off the chair and slid backwards quickly, frightened of the figure coming closer to him.

"Please, let me go! I'm not a killer! I couldn't kill them! Please, don't kill me! I swear, I couldn't do it! I was not strong enough!" Draco bawled as he was cornered to the back wall. He put his arms over his face, trying to shield himself from the impact he thought was about to come, breathing heavily.

She didn't mean to scare him that much. She’d taken it too far. Hermione had to stop. She waved her wand at her and turned herself back to normal. She rushed to the blonde’s side and rested a hand on his shoulder. Draco visibly flinched at the contact. Her lips turn down as she realised how horribly she’d acted, transforming herself into a Boggart.

"Draco, it's me, Hermione. I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I only thought it was a prank. I'm sorry," Hermione said regretful for her actions.

He removed his arms from his face and saw that it was indeed the brunette and not – not the Dark Lord. He stood up from the back wall and straightened himself out. How could she be so sick? He had saved her, and this, this was how she repaid him? He was disgusted.

"Well, that was a disgusting joke. I thought you were better than this, Granger - obviously, I thought wrong. You will always be the Mudblood I knew you were." He spat in disgust, before halting as he realised what he’d just said. Shit, he hadn’t meant to say that. It just unconsciously came out.

"I was adopted!" Hermione blurted out, tired of the same insult he threw at her since the first year in Hogwarts. When she noticed the shocked expression on the blonde, she knew she had grabbed his attention.

"I'm a pureblood, just like you, Malfoy. My parents, they were killed by death eaters! People like you, had killed my parents!" Hermione exclaimed, she knew that she was possible going too far in indirectly blaming him for her parents death, but she was frustrated.

Draco was shocked. She was a pureblood, and death eaters had killed her real parents for a reason only Merlin could know.

But how could he believe her? How would she even know that her parents’ killers were death eaters? What proof did she have?

She was lying, he thought. But…he couldn’t prove it either.

"Stop making up these stories, they're futile." He remarked.

"I'm not lying, Malfoy!" Hermione cried. He looked into her chocolate eyes trying to find the lies in her words; they showed nothing but honesty. So it was true.

"Then why hadn't you told anyone before?" He challenged. She had so long to reveal the truth, yet even after all that torment, she’d chosen to say nothing?

"Because, I just found out yesterday," Hermione explained.

Okay. That made much more sense. Still, that didn't give her the right to play that sick joke on him.

"Well, even if you are a pureblood, Granger. That certainly does not mean you can play these disgusting jokes on me." Draco snapped at her. She’d made him relive the days where always lived in fear of him. She had no right.

"I know and I’m – I’m sorry for that. I didn't mean for you to get so scared like that. That was really stupid of me, I know. It wasn’t my intention, please, believe me," her voice softened, pleading almost. He was right, she shouldn't have done that. She then noticed him leaving out the door, so she followed him. She wanted to confirm something.

"Malfoy…who was it?" She asked with caution, stepping into his office.

"That, is none of your bloody business, Granger. Now get out of my office before I personally kick you out," he warned her. Hermione sighed and apologised one more time before exiting out of his office.

She sat down at her desk and opened the letters addressed to her and read them. The blue one first.

Hermione,

I heard about what happened. I’m sorry about your baby. I know you're probably believing it to be your fault, but it was, in no way, your fault. You were just being careful, that's all.

She paused, her lips downturned as she was reminded of the accident. She should never have gone by taxi. It was her fault, it was. If she had just asked someone to accompany her, then maybe, maybe her child would have still…lived. She looked down at her stomach and placed her hand over it, feeling the tears welling up. She blinked them back, and continued to read on.

I just want you to know that I’m here for you and that it's all Ron's fault. If he hadn't left you, this would never have happened. I want to murder that git so much, but I know mum wouldn't approve of it. I would probably regret it later, too.

She shook her head in disagreement, even though the redhead wouldn’t be able to see it. Ron hadn’t done anything. None of what happened was his fault. It was her’s.

Anyway, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the hospital yesterday. My coach couldn't allow it, because we had a very important match against the Chudley Canons. He believed that I was one of the strongest able chaser he’d seen and that he couldn't afford to lose this game to the Canons.

Look, when your shift ends, I'll be waiting to talk to you at The Burrow about everything. But for now, that's all I have to say. I'll see you tonight.

Gin.

Hermione's eyes were still welling up.

She was going to be a mother, but that all ended before it could even begin. She felt so upset about it, but she looked on the bright side, at least she was alive.

Who was she kidding? She had desired for so long, to have a child of her own. Other than taking care of Teddy Lupin, she wanted to take care of her own child, but that was not going to happen now, after the accident which had almost taken her life…

Draco was still having trouble believing the fact that the bookworm was a pureblood. Huh. That doesn't change the fact that she nearly scared the life out of him. He had thought of her as a smart, sweet, caring, brave Gryffindor - but after that little stunt, he was starting to believe otherwise.

Wait. What did he just say? What the hell was wrong with him?! He couldn't think like that about her! She was still the same muggleborn witch from Hogwarts he knew and despised. Right? Well, she wasn’t exactly a muggleborn anymore.

He was thinking about her way too much. He shook his thoughts aside and continued with his own work on his desk. Why would he care if she was a muggleborn or not? She was still – and always will be the annoying know-it-all he’d known her to be.

This wouldn’t change anything.

Hermione picked up the other letter and read the contents inside. It was from Harry.

Hermione,

I'm sorry to hear about your baby.

She wished they’d all stop apologising. She didn’t want to be constantly reminded of her loss. It wasn’t their fault, she knew – they were just concerned, but – she hated being reminded of what happened. She didn’t want to relive it. It was her fault; all of it. She’d killed her child. She had-

No. She needed to stop.

She turned back to read further.

I was so angry with that prick that I punched him, right in the gut, after I found out what happened from your parents. How dare he do that to you?! I know you must be thinking, but he saw it coming. He told me that he was sorry for what he did, but I told him that it was you who he should be apologising to.

I'm sorry we couldn't make it. It's just that we were on the verge of catching more death eaters that were in hiding, in Oslo - your parents must have told you, because I called in yesterday to ask if you were okay - and then I found out that you had an accident. Ron and I were beyond worried. We wanted to come straight away, but we weren't able to. But as soon as we arrive, we will be waiting for you, like Gin must have told you, at The Burrow.

Harry.

She was so happy that her best friends were so good to her, they were the best friends anyone could ever ask for.

She acknowledged that they didn't mention anything about knowing about her real parents, so that meant that she had to tell them about it. Her parents believed it to be her job to inform them about it. Phew. This was going to be a long day, she thought as she breathed out a sigh.

She would tell them when she would return to The Burrow, but for now, she had to finish so much paperwork, and it was probably going to take the whole d-

She observed her desk and found that there were only a few sheets of paper piled on top of her desk for her to sign. Oh right, Malfoy had been doing it when she returned.

She looked through the papers that had been already signed, and to her surprise, they weren't sabotaged with, like she thought Malfoy would have done - but he hadn't. He had actually helped her finish it.

And what had she done, turned into a Boggart and scared the life out of him, believing him to be the same Malfoy he was. She had meant to thank him; as much as she hated him, he had saved her life. She couldn’t ignore that.

She had to go now. She placed the letters on her desk and made a right, to his office.

Draco, not wanting to have any disturbance (especially from a certain brunette), waved his wand at the door and locked it firmly. Now he could continue with his work in peace.

Why had he locked the door? Did he not want her to enter his office because of what she had done to him? She had really gone too far, hadn’t she? That was so unlike her. She never should’ve done that to him. It was the Dark Lord, wasn’t it? The person he saw. She’d done wrong. She had to apologise to him.

She closed her eyes and released a large breath. Opening them, she looked at the door with determination. She lifted her hand up, reading to knock on the door. She lightly knocked twice.

“Malfoy? Can I talk to you for a moment?” She called out with caution. When she heard no response, she tried one more time. Just one more time. “Malfoy, please. Open the door. I need to talk about something.” Still, no reply.

Hermione sighed in defeat and retreated back to her office. She’d try again later.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! University is starting next week, and boy am I excited (to die), but yeah, I intend to update every week - and stick to it this time - so look forward to them, I guess :D. Please read and review, it means the world to me, and it lets me know how I'm doing ;3;.

Lunch time had dawned, and Draco unlocked the door, walking towards the counter where he was meant to sign out from. Across from where he stood, he realised the brown haired witch was doing the same.

He realised he was staring and quickly turned back. What did he think he was doing?! Something was seriously wrong with him if his attention continued to come back to the brunette. Shaking his head, he hurriedly signed out and started heading for the exit. He needed to clear his head.

This was her chance, she thought. Determinedly, she walked towards the blonde, now striding out of the Ministry. She rushed to catch up with him, but when she realised that he was walking too fast – damn those long legs – she decided it to be best to call him out.

“Malfoy, wait!” She said, continuing to speed walk towards the said male.

He finally halted and waited for her to catch up. There better be a good reason.

She reached him in a few seconds, and looked directly at the blonde.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” she immediately snapped out of the trance, and – she had been staring, at Malfoy. What was happening to her? What was she here for again?

Oh right. Apology.

“Whatever you have to say, Granger, can you make it quick? I don’t have time to waste,” the blonde drawled, crossing his arms in annoyance. What was she thinking so much about? And why had she been staring at him?

“Right, um – look, I’m, I’m sorry for – you know, the Boggart thing,” she was stumbling over her words – this was unlike her, she rarely ever stumbled over her words like this. No, this was not the time to ponder on that. Apology. Right. “I really hadn’t meant to scare you like that, it was really foolish of me. I don’t know why I did that; I’d wanted to thank you,” she continued.

“Well, you have a rather twisted way of doing so,” he remarked, eyebrow raised, causing her to feel even guiltier about what she’d done.

“I never meant – I know, I’m really sorry and…thank you,” she said, now looking back at him, “for saving me. If it hadn’t been for you, I probably would’ve died. If it hadn’t been for you, I probably would have died along with my baby,” she choked out, feeling the memories come back to her. She looked down at the floor as she blinked back the fresh tears threatening to form - she had to stop crying.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said, interrupting her train of thoughts. Her head snapped up in surprise. He was looking straight at her. And the steely orbs continued to as he continued, “Don’t blame yourself for it, Granger, it was not your fault. You were just taking precaution, by choosing to go by taxi.” Wait, how…had he known that?

How had he known what she was being cautious by taking the taxi? This didn’t make sense. She stared at the blonde, eyes wide.

“But, it was, wasn’t it? I could’ve easily asked someone to accompany me, yet, I hadn’t. It was my fault,” she could feel the tears stinging her eyes, “I killed my own child…” She closed her eyes, causing a single tear to streak down.

“It’s not your fault,” he blurted out, without even thinking about what he was saying, “you felt that it was safer taking a taxi, you just – you just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. It wasn’t something you could’ve known or been able to control. If anything, I’m angry at myself that I couldn’t save the both of you - I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you both.” He finished. He was. Yes, he hadn’t had any knowledge of her being pregnant, but if he had reached the hospital earlier, then maybe, maybe her child would have been alive inside of her.

“You hadn’t known though, right?” She asked, a pained smile displayed. She couldn’t understand how, but it was as if – as if she could read his thoughts. Her brows furrowed together in confusion. No, that wasn’t possible. How could she have read his mind? She wasn’t experience in Occulumency or Leglimency. Then how…

“I hadn’t but, maybe if I been quicker in arriving at St. Mungo’s, your child would’ve still lived,” he answered, a frown displaying. A smile creeped on her face as she listened; did he…care?

When he saw the smile on her face, he quickly tried to change his expression into one of digust.

“Stop smiling like that, Granger, you’re creeping me out,” he tried to sound irritated, but when he only heard a snort in return, he knew he’d failed. What was happening to him?

“You don’t have to apologise. You’re not to blame for what happened, Draco-,” she halted, mid-sentence. She’d just called him Draco, by his first name. It just blurted out before she could stop herself. She looked to see what the blonde’s reaction was and saw that he was frozen. “Malfoy! I meant Malfoy…” she trailed off. It was probably too late now. He’d definitely heard her.

God, Hermione what is wrong you?

“Okay, right. Um, if you’re done then, I’m leaving,” with that, the blonde turned on his heel and quickly walked towards the exit.

She had just called him Draco. And he was okay with it? What was actually happening with him today? He didn’t understand. She was confusing him. He was confusing him.

Noticing everyone’s eyes on her, she too scurried out of the Ministry, her cheeks flushing red.

She was in such a hurry, that she stumbled into something – someone. Closing her eyes shut, expecting for the fall, but when she felt herself being held up, she opened her eyes again, meeting a pair of sea green eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going!” She sputtered as she released herself from the hold, straightening herself out. Well, this was embarrassing.

“It’s alright. You seem to be in an awful lot of hurry,” he stated, chuckling. She felt herself burn up.

“Um, yeah,” she smiled weakly. “I-I’m going to go. Thank you for, um, catching me.” With that, she hurried to the direction of a small café.

“You’re welcome!” he called, but she was already turning around. He watched as she headed into a café. A smirk creeped up onto his face.

He’d found his next target.

He turned to his side, realising the brunette had come out from the Ministry – if possible, his smirk grew even wider.

A knock disrupted Draco, causing him to halt in his work, again. Immensely irked, he opened the door, ready to yell at whoever it was that had disrupted him. But when he noted that it was his secretary – Michael Foster, he stopped himself.

“This was sent for you, Mr Malfoy. It appears to be from your mother,” he studied his secretary’s expression, it looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. An eyebrow raised, he took the envelope from the black haired male. He was about to open it when he was interrupted – or rather, startled.

“I’ll – I’ll just leave! And let you read it in peace,” Before he could respond, the shorter male closed the door behind him. Okay, that was weird.

Shaking his thoughts, he decided to open the envelope.

Big mistake.

“DRACO ABRAXAS MALFOY! YOU HAD AN IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARY PARTY TO ATTEND AT PRECISELY 9 O’CLOCK, WHY WERE YOU NOT PRESENT? I EXPECT YOU TO BE AT THE MANOR AS SOON AS YOU FINISH AT THE MINISTRY, YOU UNDERSTAND? IF YOU DO NOT COME, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!”

With that the letter burst into flames in his hands, burning his palms a little. He blew on his hands hurriedly, trying to get rid of the burning feeling.

He knew now, how the Weasel had felt when he’d received a howler from his mother in his second year. Mothers could be quite frightening when angered. But he hadn’t really done anything as grave as stealing a flying car, so why was he receiving similar treatment? Before he could continue with his train of thoughts, laughter from the other side of the wall snapped him out of them.

Granger.

She couldn’t stop herself from laughing. The howler had been too loud to dismiss. She was sure everyone on the floor had heard it, excluding her.

Malfoy – the Draco Malfoy, had gotten a howler. Oh, this was all kinds of funny. The ringing of her phone stopped her laughter, well at least a little, before she picked up the receiver and answered.

“Granger, I can hear your bloody laughter right through the wall,” she could almost see the grit in his teeth, anger in hinted in his voice.

“Oh yeah? And why should I care? I’m sure everyone on the floor heard the howler,” she remarked, snickering. When she only heard silence on the other end, she smirked. “Why, is Mr. Perfect afraid his reputation will be ruined?” She pouted mockingly. The line went dead before she could say further. Satisfied, she placed the receiver back and, whilst still laughing, returned to complete her work.

The nerve of her! She needed to be taught a lesson. Why did he have to be right next door to her?

He strode out of his office and banged on the brunette’s door.

“Granger, open the damn door!” He shouted, successfully grabbing everyone’s attention, but he didn’t particularly care. The door opened and he stormed inside, slamming the door behind him, already reaching for his wand. He pointed it at the brunette, mumbling the perfect spell out.

He watched in satisfaction as her nose grew bigger and turned bright red. Her hair now formed into an afro, dyed in bright rainbow colours. Face painted white, and a big red smile outlined around her lips.

He snorted, placing the back of his hand on his mouth to contain the laughter. It was futile, though. He burst out in laughter, proud of what he’d transformed her into (despite how childish it must have looked like).

Hermione glared daggers at the blonde as he continued to laugh loudly, grasping his sides.

“MALFOY, CHANGE ME BACK NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME?” She bellowed, but seeing that he continued laughing caused her to grow angrier.

“Change me back, or I will – I will-,” come on, Hermione. Think! She looked back at the blonde, who was now walking towards her. He was only a few centimetres away from. What is this?

“Or you’ll do what, Granger? Huh?” He challenged, stepping forward. She hated that wandless magic didn’t work on these kind of transformation spells. Why hadn’t she kept her wand with her? She was supposed to be the brightest witch of the wizarding world for Merlin’s sake!

She stepped back, to keep the distance between them, but he only walked closer.

“Or I will…” She stepped further backwards until her back hit a solid surface. She looked back, only to realise that she’d hit the wall – she had nowhere to go. She - she needed to get away.

Finding an opening on her right, she tried to escape, but a pale hand blocked her. She moved to escape from the left, but again, a pale hand blocked it. She was trapped.

She looked up, their eyes locking. The stormy grey ones bore into the caramel ones.

Why couldn’t she break away?

She noticed him inching closer; she started panicking. What was he doing? Why was he coming closer?

“Or you will, what, Granger? You keep saying, but you’re not really doing anything,” he remarked, smirking. He was so close; she could feel his breath. He was enjoying this, wasn’t he?

She wanted to wipe that smirk right off his face. She wanted to, but how-

Receiving nothing in response, he declared it victory and moved away from the brunette.

Before he was grabbed by the collar, and suddenly, he felt a pair of lips crash on his own. His eyes widened as he realised it was Hermione, kissing him. She had her eyes closed, he noticed. But that wasn’t what he should be thinking about!

Hermione Granger – was kissing him, her sworn enemy, Draco Malfoy.

What was happening? How was this happening? Why was this happening?

She released her grasp, and peeked open her eyes to check on the blonde. He was frozen in his spot. She praised herself as she sidestepped Draco and grabbed her wand from her desk, pointing it at herself and transforming herself back to normal.

Only then did it come to realisation – she had kissed Draco Malfoy. But she had to do something to wipe that smirk of his face! She had succeeded in doing so, hadn’t she? That’s all she’d wanted.

She turned her attention back to the blonde, still rooted to the spot. She walked over in front of him and waved her hand, trying to snap him out.

“Malfoy to Earth, are you there?” She asked.

He blinked. Once. Twice. He quickly snapped out of whatever trance he was in and ignoring the brunette, bolted back to his office.

Once he was back, he sat down on his chair. Hermione Granger had kissed him. She had kissed him and he’d done nothing to push her away. No, it wasn’t his fault, he was just in…shock. Why had she kissed him? Her sworn enemy.

More importantly, why was he okay with it? He was so confused. This whole day had been nothing but confusing for him.

And it was all because of her.

He slammed his hand on the desk, angered at himself. He had to stay away from her.

What had she done? She’d – she’d betrayed Ron! How could she have done that? How could she have kissed Malfoy when she was with Ro-

She stopped, realising that she wasn’t anymore. Ron had abandoned her; he’d left her when she had revealed she was pregnant – had been. Not anymore. It was gone. Without even coming to this world. Her baby was gone…

Her hand unconsciously came to rest on her stomach, not bothering to stop the tears from falling.

“Ah,” she hissed as she clutched her left hand to her chest. Why did she suddenly feel pain? She couldn’t remember ever injuring it, so why did her left hand hurt?

So much more confused than she’d been that morning, she laid back in her chair and closed her eyes for a while. Maybe some rest will help her.

He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated and confused as to what was happening with him.

Feeling a drop of liquid stream down his right cheek. He touched it and realised that it was a…tear? What? Why was he crying?

"Hermione, dear, I heard what happened…" Molly trailed off, unable to talk. She couldn’t find the right words, for the younger’s loss. She could see the brunette was on the verge of tears and instinctively opened her arms. Hermione quickly grasped the older witch in a tight embrace, crying out freely. Molly comforted Hermione by slowly rubbing her back, she could only imagine what the younger must have been going through.

"It's okay, honey. Just let it all out." Molly encouraged her. Hermione wanted to stop the tears, stop herself from letting all her emotions out, but she couldn’t. Not in front of Molly Weasley. She had been like a second mother to her, and she’d always confided in the older if she couldn’t see her own parents. "Come on, let's go inside. Ginny, Harry and Ron are waiting for you in the living room." Molly led the younger witch inside, arms still around the younger’s shoulder.

"Hermione!" Ginny rushed up to the brown eyed witch - whom she considered her sister by now - and engulfed her in her arms. Hermione hugged back, crying more; she knew by now it was futile trying to hold it in.

"It's alright," Ginny said, rubbing her back, like her mother before her. When she felt like she’d been all cried out, she let go. Wiping her tears away, she attempted a smile at her best friends.

Harry walked towards Hermione and enveloped her into a bone crushing hug. She melted in his embrace, finding herself visibly relax. She was thankful.

When he finally let go - after what felt like several minutes - Harry set his eyes on Ron. Ron shuffled his feet, not able to make eye contact with the witch he had caused so much trouble for – who he’d hurt immensely. Hermione looked to the side, not wanting to look at her friend - if she could even call him that now - who had hurt her so much. She still wasn’t ready to forgive him for what he’d done. She knew that, he knew that, they all knew.

She just sat down on the sofa, waiting for her friends to do the same.

When they finally settled down, Harry turned to Hermione. "How did it happen, 'Mione? If you don't mind us asking." Harry asked hesitantly, avoiding her eyes.

Hermione told them everything that happened about the accident. How the damage was too much for the baby to survive from. Malfoy bring her saviour - making her friends look at her in shock. How she was adopted, and was a Pureblood. Everything was revealed to the four wizards that sat beside her.

Well…maybe not everything. Hermione skipped the moment of the kiss she has shared with Malfoy as she knew they would be so angry at her, especially Ron. They all listened silently though, even if she could tell they wanted to interrupt.

"Wow…so you're a Pureblood. How does it feel to be one?" Harry asked.

"It feels the same. Nothing feels different. I don't know why pricks like Malfoy make such a big deal about it." Hermione grumbled. She really didn’t. Though, she realised, he hadn’t acted in that way for a while now. Had the blonde really changed? Like her parents had stated?

Wait. No, stop. Why did her mind always go back to him? It’s all because of that goddamn kiss. She should never have done it. What was she thinking?! There were millions of other ways she could have stopped him.

"That's because he was born that way. A Pureblood prick." Ginny remarked, making Hermione snap out of her thoughts and chuckle slightly.

"Well, anyways, we're just happy that you're alright." Harry smiled.

"Me too." Hermione said, returning the smile.

On the night went, as the four wizards joked and laughed about their times at Hogwarts. However, there would be times when an air of tension would cloud over them whenever Hermione and Ron being together were involved. She’d choose to ignore and he would glance her way, guilt all over his face.

"Oh, and remember the time when you punched Malfoy right in the nose! Oh, that was hilarious! I still remember that day! He looked so bloody scared!" Harry recalled the memory. The four of them laughed, recollecting Malfoy's face when Hermione had punched him, square in the nose. She’d felt brilliant when she had done it; somehow, it gave her a thrill.

"He deserved it. He was bad mouthing Hagrid and Buckbeak. I wasn’t just gonna stand there and do nothing while he threw insult after insult at them." Hermione reasoned.

Dinner had ended and Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny all headed upstairs to their rightful bedrooms. Hermione and Ginny sharing one room and Harry sharing another with Ron.

Before they went, Ginny kissed Harry goodnight, resulting in Ron scolding the couple to do their business elsewhere. Hermione only smiled at the couple, wishing why she and Ron couldn’t be like that. Well, they had been for almost two years. But – had that all been a pretence, too? No. Ron had told her that he had realised it later on in their relationship; so not all of what they were had been a lie. It still hurt, though.

"Whatever Ron. Just go to your room because it's going to happen every - single - day, since we're getting married in two weeks." Ginny stated, causing Ron to scoff and enter his bedroom, not wanting to hear or see anymore.

Harry retired inside as well after hugging Hermione for one last time, and kissing Ginny goodnight on the cheek.

Ginny and Hermione departed to their shared bedroom, talking about the wedding plans for the upcoming Saturday.

"So, I was thinking if we could go with Fleur to the wedding shop on Saturday. Is that okay for you?" The red head asked. Hermione nodded, not really paying attention so much anymore. Her mind once again somehow finding itself wandering to the kiss with Draco. She wished she could just - just erase it out of her head. She wished she could-

"'Mione, you alright? You seemed a little tensed when you arrived. Is everything alright?" Ginny asked. Hermione sighed, knowing nothing could go unnoticed by her best friend. She had to tell her. After all, if anyone could understand her, it was Ginny.

"You did what?!" Ginny bellowed, loud enough for the entire house to hear her voice. Hermione waved her wand and muttered the silencing spell before continuing. She wasn’t ready for the others to know. Not yet anyway. She was still confused about the kiss.

"I-I didn't mean to! I-It just happened! I was trying t-to make him change me back! And I warned him that I – if he didn’t change me back, I would – and then it just happened. I kissed him before even thinking about it - I don't know what happened," Hermione shook her head in worry. The day had been all too confusing for her.

"He gave you boils, and then turned you into a clown?" Ginny asked, pursing her lips together, trying to keep a straight face. Hermione glared daggers at the redhead. She could tell the younger was trying hard not to laugh. This really wasn’t funny.

"It's not funny!" Hermione cried. But it was useless.

Ginny burst out in laughter freely, while Hermione giving her the shut-up-or-I'll-hex-you look. Ginny stopped immediately, knowing that her friend wouldn’t hesitate in doing so.

"Well, he deserved to get that howler. Thinking that he was so damn perfect." Ginny said, snorting.

"Oh, and don't forget when he banged his head into the door! He deserved that too!" Hermione reminded her, before they both burst out laughing, as an image of Malfoy banging his head into the door popped up in their minds.

"I don't get it. I mean how he didn’t resist when you kissed him, when you were a clown. - I never knew he liked clowns so much." Ginny sniggered.

"Ginny, it's not funny. And it was only so I could get away from him and get my wand, that’s all there is to it," Hermione huffed.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. But if you wanted to away from him, wouldn’t you – I don’t know – push him away? Kissing him kinda defeats that purpose if you ask me," Ginny stated, eyeing the brunette suspiciously. Hermione avoided her eyes, not knowing how to really respond to that. She was right; she could’ve just pushed him away.

"I don't know. I don't get why I did that either," Hermione frowned. "But it was like my body moved on its own accord, I don’t know," She sighed, shaking her head.

"If Harry and Ron find out, they aren’t gonna be happy about this. Especially Ron." Ginny said as a matter-of-factly.

"Don't worry, I won’t. I promise." Ginny assured her best friend with a grin. "Now, we should get some sleep. It's been a tiring day – and slightly confusing – for some of us." Ginny clapped her hands and the lights went off. Hermione jumped inside the covers and drifted off to what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep.

***

"She did what?!" Blaise had spat out his mouthful of water, coughing hysterically.

"I-I don't know what happened! One minute I turn her into a clown and then the next, she kisses me! I don't get it! Why would she kiss me?" Draco exclaimed. "I would never, in a million years, let Granger kiss me," He repeated to assure himself more than anyone else.

"Shut up." Draco clarified. He had though, hadn’t he? Seriously, what in Merlin’s baggy shorts was going on with him? “She told me she was adopted.” He blurted out. Crap. Was he meant to tell anyone about this?

"Why would she do that?" His raven haired friend asked, head tilted in confusion.

"I don't know! I kinda called her a Mudblood – it blurted out, I wasn’t thinking – but then she said she was adopted and that her parents were killed by Death Eaters. But I’m not sure about the death eaters bit, she had no proof," Draco explained, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Wow, so Granger’s actually a pureblood?" Blaise asked in awe.

"Apparently." Draco said with a shrug. He still couldn’t believe it, though he couldn’t comprehend what was so unbelievable about the brunette being a pureblood. He shook his head. He was starting to think way too much about her. It was unlike him.

“Well, I don’t think that’ll change my view of her. She’ll still be the bossy, know-it-all we’ve all known her as,” the shorter male remarked, smirking. Draco smirked in response. He was right about that. “Anyway, I’m sure things will go back to normal tomorrow. Don’t think about it too much, mate.” He said, patting Draco’s back in assurance.

“Yeah.” He answered back simply. Draco turned to retire to his bedroom when a hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"What was it like though? The kiss, I mean." Blaise smirked. "Was it good?" He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at the platinum blond.

"I guess. But I've had better." Draco shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. But truthfully, he didn’t know what to think of the kiss. He had – and still was – too shocked to think about how it felt.

"Don’t lie, mate. You wouldn’t be avoiding my eyes if you weren’t. Come on, we're all friends here. I promise I won't tell," Blaise urged him, though a teasing smirk was making its appearance. He had some bloody great friends.

"Fine. It was great. Happy?" Draco sputtered, before he could stop himself. What had he just said? Oh Merlin. Did he hear himself correctly?

"I knew it! I knew it! - Can I have details, though? - Oh, come on!" Blaise cried, dodging a pillow thrown in his direction. He could be such a prick sometimes, he thought as he shook his head and left the room with a smirk on his face.

Draco lied back on his bed, the kiss emerging in his mind. He smiled. As much as he tried to deny it, he couldn’t ignore the warm, fuzzy feeling Granger gave him. He hadn't felt like that with any girl before, ever. He wondered how the know-it-all bookworm felt about the kiss – well, she had initiated it.

But he did know one thing. He was going to stop with the insults – as much as he could – and just try being civil towards the brunette.

He was not his father, who cared for no one but himself. He may have called her Mudblood numerous times – even today, despite it accidently slipping out – but he was going to stop. And he wasn’t doing it because he’d found out she was, in fact, a pureblood – no. He was going to stop because he wanted to change. He wasn’t the same Draco Malfoy he had been five years ago; the war had changed him, though only the people close to him knew that.

He father hadn't thought to confide with his family before making such big decisions that would – and had – changed their lives. His father may have ruined his and his mother's life because of his selfish decisions, but he was not going to be the same. He was not his father.

He put his thoughts aside and got under the covers, falling into deep sleep, but one thought stayed glued to his mind – the kiss with Hermione Granger.